Shōtarō Tokunō is a Japanese manga artist and former video game developer, born on February 15, 1985. He is best known as the original creator of the manga series New Game!, which was adapted into the popular anime television series New Game! and its sequel New Game!!. Before establishing his career in manga, Tokunō worked as a game developer for the company tri-Ace for approximately three years in the late 2000s. During his time there, he contributed to several major video game titles, including character design and modeling for Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria and Star Ocean: The Last Hope. His experiences and observations within the game industry, particularly the demanding working conditions, would later serve as a primary source of inspiration for his breakthrough work.

The New Game! manga began serialization in Houbunsha's seinen manga magazine Manga Time Kirara Carat on January 28, 2013, and concluded on August 27, 2021. The series follows a young woman named Aoba Suzukaze who joins a video game company as a character designer, depicting the daily lives and challenges of her and her female colleagues. The manga was compiled into thirteen tankōbon volumes. The first anime season, simply titled New Game!, was produced by the studio Doga Kobo and aired from July to September 2016. A second season, New Game!!, followed from July to September 2017. Tokunō himself contributed to the anime adaptation, handling the scenario for episode nine of the first season and the script for episode five of the second season.

Beyond New Game!, Tokunō has created several other manga works. His earlier series includes Komorebi no Kuni, which he wrote and illustrated from 2009 to 2012. He is also the author and artist of Idol x Idol Story!, a manga that began serialization in 2022. Additionally, he has contributed as an artist to various anthology comics, including those for Sakura Trick and Is the Order a Rabbit?, and has provided illustrations for light novels such as Ghost Write, Grimoire: Ore no Nounai Kanojo Nikki, and Sore ga Doushita!

A recurring theme in Tokunō's work, particularly evident in New Game!, is a focus on the professional and personal lives of women in creative industries, blending slice-of-life comedy with a candid look at workplace realities. He has drawn directly from his own past in the game development sector to inform the setting and conflicts in his stories. While New Game! is generally lighthearted, Tokunō has expressed interest in exploring more competitive and darker narrative elements, a tendency he reportedly pursued further in Idol x Idol Story!. He often uses a hedgehog, based on a pet he owned, as his personal avatar in author commentaries and afterwords.

Shōtarō Tokunō holds a significant place in the industry as a creator who successfully translated his real-world professional experiences into a popular and influential manga and anime franchise. His work on New Game! is notable for providing a perspective on the video game industry that resonated with both creators and fans, helping to popularize the "workplace slice-of-life" subgenre in the 2010s. His background as a former game developer lends a layer of authenticity to his storytelling that distinguishes him from many of his peers in the four-panel comedy space.